Debra "Debby" Houston Miller

Debby was born on June 20, 1955, to Charles and Nell Houston, St. Marks, Florida. Debby grew up making friends throughout North Florida and South Georgia as the family followed her father’s ministry in the church. Tallahassee and St. Marks were always home base for the family, where her grandparents lived, with her aunts, uncles, and many cousins.

Debby graduated from Rickards High School in 1973 and went on to get her master’s degree with a major in special education-learning disabilities from Florida State University. Debby’s passion for teaching students with special needs lead her to teach in Thomasville, GA and Wakulla County, Florida, where she eventually moved into an administrative role. Debby went on to obtain a Doctorate degree in special education from the University of South Florida, returning to Tallahassee to work at the Florida Department of Education, eventually finishing her career at Florida Center for Reading Research (FSU).

Debby met Freddy Miller, the love of her life in 1999. They went on to marry in 2008, continuing a loving and adventurous life together, traveling the United States, building a life at Wire Grass Pond in Climax, Georgia until health concerns brought them back to Tallahassee. They blended two loving families, who adored their wife, sister, aunt, friend, and GrandDebby with all their hearts. She loved her family well, always putting an emphasis on the “children” in her life. Debby had many “girlfriends” she loved and who loved her in return, extending her family to these wonderful women who were impacted deeply by her friendship through the years.

Debby is survived by her husband, Freddy Miller; her sister, Brenda Wood (Michael); her nieces, Annie Wood (Allee), and Michael Diane Wood (Michael Taylor). She is also survived by Freddys family, who she loved as her own. Daughters, Cynthia “Cindy” Miller Chason (Courtney) and Tonya Miller Hoover (Danny); grandchildren, Chet Allen (Jen), Cree Reeves (Ryan), James Glenn Roush (Anthony); and great grandchildren, Taylor Allen, Carter Allen and the one to come early 2026.

The celebration of life will be 11:00AM on Saturday, August 23, Culley’s on Riggins Road. There will be a brief reception following the service. The family requests that any donations be made in Debby’s memory to Big Bend Hospice, which she was proud to support annually.